Leaving the Hells Angels

Hang-arounds, associates and prospects may leave the club at any time.

Patched members, who are expected to make a lifetime commitment, will leave the club either in good standing or bad standing. In good standing means the member is considered retired, is still a brother, but is inactive in the club and its business. Less than 10% leave this way. In bad standing is someone who has been kicked out or is seen to have turned their back on the club. The vote to remove a member must be unanimous. Only HA members may possess HA colours. Tattoos, clothing, paint on bikes, accessories, and jewelry must be retrieved by the club, by force if necessary.

In some cases members out in bad standing are to be attacked on sight. In all cases Hells Angels must shun an ex-member out in bad standing. To associate with a member out in bad standing could result in expulsion. Decisions on membership status reside at the chapter level. Some expulsion decisions must be approved by all chapters in a region.

In 1989 a package arrived at the Smithsonian with no return address. The contents were Hells Angels colors, photocopies of news articles, and a handwritten letter. “Dear Gentleperson, The enclosed Hell’s Angels jacket–about 1960′s–is for the Smithsonian. It is an authentic jacket owned by Hairy Henry or Hank as he was more commonly called. Each patch bearing a man’s name was worn in memoriam for his lost brothers. Hank has since passed away and I felt you were the appropriate entity to receive this jacket.”

The center patch is the original two-winged patch, not the first variant of the single-winged Deaths Head patch that most of the club had switched over to. The rare relic does indeed belong in the Smithsonian.